Weekend: Music, 'Day of the Cowboy' & 'X-Files'

EAST VALLEY FULL OF MUSICAL PERFORMANCES

by Albert Ching

Music makes the people come together. According to Madonna in her 2000 hit, “Music,” at least. There are plenty of chances for that theory to be tested in the East Valley this weekend, with several performances scheduled by local artists from a variety of wildly different genres. (If this isn’t enough, check out our events calendar.)

ROCK

Valley rock band The Stiletto Formal is hard to describe. Their music is chaotic, the singer uses a falsetto and there’s a cello. These unique qualities have led to national attention and a spot on the Vans Warped Tour two years ago. They’re back in our neck of the woods this weekend, in concert at the Clubhouse Music Venue along with fellow local bands Dust Jacket and Kinch.

>> The Stiletto Formal performs 7 p.m. today at the Clubhouse Music Venue, 1320 E. Broadway Road, Tempe. $10. (480) 968-3238 or clubhousegigs.com.

JAZZ

Accomplished Valley trumpet player Fred Forney is a busy man — he performs with the Armand Boatman Be-Bop Revolution jazz quintet and at the Broadway shows at Gammage Auditorium. He’s also the artistic director of the Arizona Jazz Masterworks Orchestra (designed to “preserve, present, promote and perpetuate the rich heritage of jazz music”), which will be performing “They Came to Swing” tonight at Tempe Center for the Arts.

>> The Arizona Jazz Masterworks Orchestra performs 8 p.m. today at Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway. $25. (480) 350-2829 or tempe.gov/tca.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

IRISH

It’s not just for St. Patrick’s Day or Irish-themed bars anymore. The Trans-Celtic Gala features Valley Celtic duo Oceans Apart, pictured, along with fiddle player Jane Hilton and percussionist Ryan Bowman. The McTeggart Irish Dancers and the Phoenix Pipe Band also will perform at the free show. Why “Trans-Celtic”? The show will blend Irish, Scottish, Welsh and North American traditional dance and music.

>> The Trans-Celtic Gala takes place 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday at Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave. Free. (480) 782-2683 or chandlercenter.org.

'DAY OF THE COWBOY' RULES IN PINAL COUNTY

by Martin Cizmar

GO DUTCH

If you want to eat like a cowboy, you’ll have to cook it yourself (or head to Florence for the Dutch Oven Cook-Off at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at Jacques Square), and there’s no better way to do that than in a cast-iron Dutch oven. The new Dick’s Sporting Goods at SanTan Village sells Campchef, and Wal-Mart sells the old standby, Lodge.

>> For info on other cook-offs and links to recipes, check out the International Dutch Oven Society’s Arizona chapter at www.idos.com.

MARTIN CIZMAR, TRIBUNE

TIE ONE ON

The bola tie isn’t just a cowboy staple, it’s Arizona’s official state neckwear. Gilbert’s All Tribes has several dozen styles among its huge selection of high-end Western wear. The store added its new showroom within the past year, says owner Jose Pedro (at left). Before that, the company, which has been around for 35 years, sold through catalogs and booths at shows and festivals. Their recipe for success isn’t hard to explain: “Something that’s $200 here would be $600 at a store in downtown Scottsdale,” Pedro says.

>> All Tribes is at 75 W. Baseline Road, Suite 6, Gilbert. (800) 417-0024 or www.alltribes.com.

ROPE 'EM

In the world of rodeo, Gilbert and Queen Creek are known for producing champion ropers. You don’t need any animals to get into the sport, just a few coils of rope and something to toss your lasso onto. Cole’s Cowboy Supply has a large selection of ropes in every style and color — pink is the top seller right now for men and women alike, says owner Shalene McGuckin. Used ropes go for $7.

>> Cole’s Cowboy Supply, 5711 S. Power Road, Mesa. (480) 926-4585.

THE PARANORMAL RULES SCOTTSDALE WITH 'X-FILES' MOVIE RELEASE

by Craig Outhier

We Arizonans have a soft spot for the paranormal. We like our houses haunted, our skies full of unexplained lights and our psychics on the cheap. That being said, this could be a very eventful weekend for true believers, particularly with the release of a new “X-Files” movie. Why not plan accordingly?

HERMOSA INN

HAUNTED HOTEL: Employees tell of suspicious spectral activity at the rustic Hermosa Inn (5532 N. Palo Cristi, Paradise Valley). Whiskey bottles smashed for no reason. Toilets flushing themselves. A tall stranger in a cowboy hat, skulking in the shadows. One theory holds the poltergeist to be none other than cowboy artist and bon vivant Lon Megargee, who was forced to sell the Hermosa in 1941 after one of his myriad divorces. The Inn itself is closed for renovation until next year, but you might catch a glimpse of Megargee while dining at Lon’s, the Inn’s celebrated nouveau American restaurant. If you see the ghost, make sure to buy him a whiskey. And none of that Irish swill, either.

>> Reservations and information: (602) 955-7878 or lons.com.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

20TH CENTURY FOX 'X-FILES’ MOVIE

Hard to believe it’s been 15 years — 15 years! — since television audiences first made contact with FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) in “The X-Files.” Untold alien abductions and inbred-mutant encounters later, the duo are back in “The X-Files: I Want to Believe,” investigating a defrocked priest (Billy Connolly) who may be their psychic link to a rash of murders and mysterious limb-severings. It’s a passable piece of stand-alone entertainment, not too insidery, good for casual fans and X-philes alike.

>> “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” opens Valleywide July 25th.

PSYCHIC READING

Any way you slice your paranormal pie, Vision Quest Metaphysical Bookstore (2225 N. Scottsdale Road) has you covered. Psychics? Check. Astro charts? Check. Smudging rituals and sacred geometry? Check, and check. Vision Quest owner Apryl Douglas has essentially created a Wal-Mart for the New Age set. There’s even a psychic, John Sackett, who specializes in extraterrestrials and UFOs. Readings start at $40 for a half-hour, or $1.99 per minute on the phone.

>> Information: (480) 949-1888 or visionquestbooks.com.